The Warner sun. (Warner, Brown Co., Dakota [S.D.]) 1885-1???, 1887-07-15

hurrleQIy letting nlnS6ll III, ne pdSSbu
swiftly through the court, and came
up with the sentinel inside the great
gate, while the carriage was taking
the longer curve, which led up to the
| front. How ne blessed the chance i'm
pulse which ht d induced him to take
that keyl
breathlessly. "Don't be too quick in
undoing the chain. Give ME as long
as you can. And l say, Dickson" he
added anxIously, NUNS the word,
you know-if you can"
cay! ay! sir" muttered the old
sentinel as he shufiled slowly along.
He was very partial to the young
man and not so much to the colonel.
The captain passed hurriedly within.
Just then the bell of tho great gate
rang out a long resOunding peal.
The captain c!anked the chain noisi-
ly as he hooked and unlocked it FUN
bled with the key in the lock, and
made such iudicious delays as enabled
the officer on guard to compose him.
self in attendance at his post, before
the heavy doors turned on their
| hinges to admit the colonel.
"Where is Captain Kendall" he ask
ed, as he alighted, in stentorian tones,
which vibrated strangely through the
silence, with q sort of fangry expectant
note of triumph.
'tOn guard, sir" answered the sold
ier curtly.
"What?" cried the colonel in the
shrillest OF accents. He was too ut
terly taken aback to say another
word. The sentinel, adopting his u.s.
ual stolid demeanor, took no notice
OF his evident astonishment. Captain
Kendall heard the inquiry from with
in, and came forward. Repressing
| any inward tremors he might feel, he
resolved to put a bold face on the mat
| ter.
Here, sir, do you require me?" he
asked cody.
The colonel stared at him. His face,
with its expression of mingled stern
ness and entire bewilderment, would
have been no mean study for a paint
| er.
He could hardly believe his eyes.
Reenly scrutinizing the young man,
who did not quail before his gaze he
said stitfly, after pause of some sec
| onds:
81 certainly thought, sir, saw you
at the ball in D street, just noww
''Me, sir2" replied the other, audac-
iously; "why, am on guard, SIR"
at is very singular" resumed the
colonel, without relaxing his scrutiny,
and slightly raising his voice; II could
have sworn that l saw you therel"
every singular indeed, sir" retort-
ed the delinquent, gaining boldness
from the very extremity of the strait
to which he found himself reduced;
"since q man can't be in two places
at once, and you have found me here.
A case of mistaken identity, perhaps,
sir"
The two men stood still, eyeing each
other, one keenly eager to detect, the
other as eagerly seeking to avoid de-
lection. The colonel was completely
| batfled. The man was there before
him-that was certain; but how hav-
ing left him, as he felt sure he had
done, among the guests at the ball,
he came to be there now, was inexpli-
cable. Not having wings wherewith
to fly, how on earth had the fellow
got there? Could he have been mis-
taken, he wondered, for a moment.
| But, no, he had not.
He shifted the form OF his interroga-
tion:
'"Then you were not at the ball?"
he asked very pointedly.
The young officer was worthy of all
condemnation for having foresaken
his post of duty. But though he had
acted inexcusably, he was still gen.
tleman, and he would not pollute his
| lips with lie. He hesitated for a re-
ply; then parried the question with
another.
How could be at the ball when
you ind me here, STRIP he said
Yes, how; that was the mystery, the
simple solution of which was the
furthest in the world from presenting
itself to the coloners brain. He knew
that 1t was quite impossible for an
other carriage to have arrived before
his own. His coachman had driven
quickly enough to satisfy even his inn
patience, and he could not have failed
to notice if another vehicle had pre-
ceded or followed his through the de-
serted streets. He could not in the
least understand it.
Silent, but wholly aneonvinced, he
sat down in the hall to think what it
might behoove him to say or dc next,
while the junior officer bustled about
in reckless fashion, setting refresh
ments before him and awkwardly en-
deavoring to turn the conversation
into another channel The colonel
answered at random, for his thoughts
were perplexed.
Mystifed, and righteously set on
! convietinp the offender. as he donbt-